Comments on: This business is next to nothing http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/ Yesterday's tomorrow, today. Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:59:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Charlie http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/#comment-443454 Charlie Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:54:17 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/#comment-443454 Erm. Well it costs almost a billion dollars to launch the space shuttle and even then roughly 2% of the launches resulted in the shuttle blowing up. Gas pipes leek all the time. You just shut it off and fix it. Trains derail all the time and they just scrape them off the tracks and fix the tracks. If the tunnel breaches and that train hits a wall of air traveling 5000mph its going to make a really big splat. I agree about the g-forces and breaking, these wouldn't be that big a problem. As long as this was an express train :) Erm. Well it costs almost a billion dollars to launch the space shuttle and even then roughly 2% of the launches resulted in the shuttle blowing up.

Gas pipes leek all the time. You just shut it off and fix it. Trains derail all the time and they just scrape them off the tracks and fix the tracks. If the tunnel breaches and that train hits a wall of air traveling 5000mph its going to make a really big splat.

I agree about the g-forces and breaking, these wouldn’t be that big a problem. As long as this was an express train :)

]]> By: Ninjalicious http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/#comment-443427 Ninjalicious Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:42:53 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/#comment-443427 Why was this not crazy? Reason 1: Acceleration and g-forces haven't caused any problems for the space shuttle, and that only goes 17,500 miles per hour. Reason 2: Again, the space shuttle braking works fine, and the passengers seem okay after they get off. Reason 3: Call up shell and ask them if there pipes leak. I can bet you they don't. You really think a tightwad oil company is going to let there precious gas leak out and not make money off of it? Reason 4: ----> So let me see. We've gotten people to get into a pressurized non-leaking aluminum cylinder blasting through the sky at 550MPH at -40 Deg F and 30,000 feet propelled by 2 or more 100,000 RPM tungsten compressor assemblies fed by aerosoled kerosene and get off safely as a commonplace venue where murphy's law has been all but completely statistically disproven, and your telling me that this idea seems ludicrous? Maybe you should revisit the complexity of some of our other long-distance transportation forms before dismissing this relatively simple and straightforward idea. Why was this not crazy?

Reason 1: Acceleration and g-forces haven’t caused any problems for the space shuttle, and that only goes 17,500 miles per hour.
Reason 2: Again, the space shuttle braking works fine, and the passengers seem okay after they get off.
Reason 3: Call up shell and ask them if there pipes leak. I can bet you they don’t. You really think a tightwad oil company is going to let there precious gas leak out and not make money off of it?
Reason 4: —->

So let me see.

We’ve gotten people to get into a pressurized non-leaking aluminum cylinder blasting through the sky at 550MPH at -40 Deg F and 30,000 feet propelled by 2 or more 100,000 RPM tungsten compressor assemblies fed by aerosoled kerosene and get off safely as a commonplace venue where murphy’s law has been all but completely statistically disproven, and your telling me that this idea seems ludicrous?

Maybe you should revisit the complexity of some of our other long-distance transportation forms before dismissing this relatively simple and straightforward idea.

]]> By: Village Idiot http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/#comment-262723 Village Idiot Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:05:17 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/#comment-262723 QUOTE: “There is no fundamental reason,” says Doctor Langmuir, “why we could not travel at a speed of 2000 to 5000 miles an hour in a vacuum tube." Well then why not 10,000 mph? I know I wouldn't mind being treated like my bank deposit at the drive-through if it meant getting to the beach real fast! Why was this crazy? Reason 1: Acceleration and G-forces Reason 2: Braking and Murphy's Law Reason 3: We have yet to even build a pipeline for liquid that doesn't leak, so... Reason 4: Etc... QUOTE: “There is no fundamental reason,” says Doctor Langmuir, “why we could not travel at a speed of 2000 to 5000 miles an hour in a vacuum tube.”

Well then why not 10,000 mph? I know I wouldn’t mind being treated like my bank deposit at the drive-through if it meant getting to the beach real fast!

Why was this crazy?
Reason 1: Acceleration and G-forces
Reason 2: Braking and Murphy’s Law
Reason 3: We have yet to even build a pipeline for liquid that doesn’t leak, so…
Reason 4: Etc…

]]> By: Charlie http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/#comment-242856 Charlie Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:49:31 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/06/13/this-business-is-next-to-nothing/#comment-242856 Wait, I just noticed this, what is pseudo-science fiction? Isn't the fiction part enough to say it's not real? Wait, I just noticed this, what is pseudo-science fiction? Isn’t the fiction part enough to say it’s not real?

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